Gastro Horror: A Guide by Sarah Stubbs

If you’ve followed me for any length of time on social media, you know I’m what I refer to as gastro horror obsessed. I hope to someday write a book on the topic. That said, I am constantly asked, “What is gastro horror?” so I thought I’d put together a guide with some answers and resources. This will be an evergreen resource, so be sure to bookmark it!

What is Gastro Horror?

The way I define gastro horror is a piece of media that has to do with food, diet, cooking, etc. I tend to omit vampires and zombies because they are no longer human, and thus their consumption isn’t really “food” in the way that humans consume and engage with food. I know there are differing opinions on this, but it is where I draw my line. This is also why, despite considering cannibalism part of this sub-sub-genre of horror, I am clear that the cannibals are still human in form. There are several sub-categories of gastro horror, as you can see from the lists below.

Letterboxd Movie Lists

I constantly make Letterboxd lists, especially niche gastro ones! I’ve sorted these alphabetically for ease of search, but the primary list is the Horror Films for Foodies list. This is probably the best place to start if you’re just starting to explore the topic.

• Baleful Baked Goods– Horror movies where baked goods (or their dough) are used as a means of killing someone, are a major plot point, or are the killers themselves. I’ve omitted pizza as that is a separate list altogether.
• Campbell’s Soup in Horror– Every horror film where we see Campbell’s Soup!
• Candy in Horror– Prominent appearances or plotlines involving candy in horror.
• Cannibalism Films and Shorts– Horror films and shorts where cannibalism is the primary theme.
• Cannibalism in Found Footage– Cannibalism in found footage horror.
• Cannibalism with Reality Show Plots– Horror films with reality shows and cannibalism.
• Cheese Graters Used to Grate People in Horror– Just what the title says!
• Cornfields in Horror– Cornfields seem to be a prominent horror setting, so I thought I’d create a list where cornfields are a primary setting or have a prominent scene.
• Deadly Dinner Parties– Dinner parties gone wrong!
• Death by Food– Films and shorts where food is sort of used as a weapon or means of death.
• Destination Dining Horror- The Films that Inspired- Films that inspired The Menu, House of Spoils, and What You Wish For.
• Don’t Look Behind the Refrigerator Door!– Movies that use refrigerator doors to hide a jump scare or build tension by making the audience think there will be a jump scare.
• Fermented in Best: Kombucha in Horror– Kombucha in horror movies, inspired by Jake Myers’ Kombucha (2025).
• Fingers Cut Off on Cutting Boards– Both as gags and real.
• Food as a Cause of a Zombie-Like State– Horror films where food infects people and turns them into zombies or zombie-like creatures.
  
• Food in Holiday Horror– Food in holiday horror movies.
• Food Journalists, Critics, and Yelpers in Horror Films– Horror films featuring food writers.
• Food Network but Make it Horror!– Horror films and shorts about cooking or food shows.
• Gastro Anthology Segments– Anthology horror films featuring food or cannibal based segments, while they themselves are not entirely gastro horror.
• Gastro Creature Features- This list came to fruition because I wrote a comprehensive guide to Gastro Creature Features over on NightTide Magazine!
• Gastro Found Footage– Food and restaurant-based found footage and in-world camera films. (Cannibalism is a separate list.)
• Grind Those Beans- Coffee in Horror– Inspired by House of Ashes, this is a list of coffee-based horror films or films that have a prominent scene or use of coffee!
• Grocery Store Horror– Horror movies that take place in or have prominent scenes in grocery/convenience stores (not gas stations).
• Hannibal Lecter Movies– Films featuring the character Hannibal Lecter.
• Horror Films for Foodies– This is my MAIN list. These are horror movies and shorts with food themes or major food ties.
• Horror Films with Themes of Vegetarianism and Veganism– Horror films with vegetarianism and veganism themes.
• Horror Involving Diets and/or Disordered Eating– Trigger warning for this list. It involves horror films involving diets, diet fads, and/or disordered eating.
• Horror Movies Where a Character Shares a Recipe– Horror movies where the audience is given detailed instructions on how to make a recipe.‎
• Horror with Food or Feast Scenes– Horror films that aren’t entirely food-centered but have prominent/memorable food or feast scenes.
• Ice Cream-Themed Horror– Ice cream-themed horror films and shorts.
• Make it Sizzle- BBQs and Grilling in Horror– Inspired by Horrorverse’s Memorial Day BBQs in Horror List, I decided to go for broke and create my own! This list will be comprised of major and minor outdoor BBQ and/or grill scenes in horror!
• Martinis in Horror– Just like the name says!
• Matched Cuts Using Food in Horror Films– Horror movies that have matched cuts with food.
• Morticians Eating Near A Dead Body– Just like the list says. Why do they do this?!
• Movies Discussed on Final Girls Feast– Movies and shorts that we’ve discussed on episodes of Final Girls Feast!
• Pancakes in Horror– Horror films that feature people making pancakes.
• Parents Burning Eggs While Talking to Their Kids– This started as my husband trolling me, but I took it seriously.
• Pernicious Produce in Horror Films- Fruits and veggies that are killers or are the cause of any maladies in horror movies.
• ‎Pizza in Horror– Inspired by Dr. Alessandra Pino’s Pizza in Horror: It’s All in the Delivery article in Rue Morgue #220 Sep/Oct 2024 Halloween Special Issue, this is a list of every time pizza makes an appearance in a horror film.
• Popcorn in Horror Movies– What goes better with a scary movie than popcorn?
• Restaurant Horror– Horror that takes place in a restaurant or has prominent use of restaurants. This list was inspired by The Menu!
• School Lunches and Cafeteria Scenes– Scenes of school lunches or school cafeteria settings in horror movies.
• Show Me Your Noods– Noodles appear in horror movies.
• Slaughter Houses, Meat Processing Facilities, and Meat Freezers in Horror– Slaughter houses, meat processing, and meat freezers/storage in horror movies.
• SOV Gastro Horror– SOV Horror films that feature gastro horror.
• Soup in Horror– Not to be confused with my Campbell’s Soup in Horror Movies list, here is a Soup in Horror list inspired by Weapons.
• Sushi in Horror– Sushi as the main dish or any appearances in horror.
• Vineyards in Horror– Inspired by Heart Eyes, here are some horror movies that have prominent scenes in or take place at vineyards.

• What’ll it be? Bars in Horror– Inspired by the film Sinners, this list features horror movies set in bars or have prominent scenes taking place in them.

Serializd TV Show and Episode Lists

While not perfect, Serializd is the best way I’ve found to compile lists of shows and episodes featuring gastro horror. The best way to view them is to view them by list, as that will show you the season, episode number, and episode name. TV shows are something that I need to do more research on, and these lists are by no means comprehensive. If I am missing something, feel free to let me know below!

• Animated Gastro Horror– Animated episodes featuring food horror themes. This list will feature both cannibalism and food in horror content.
• Cannibalism Shows and Episodes– Cannibalism in tv shows and episodes.
• Gastro Horror Shows and Episodes– Shows and episodes featuring food horror outside of cannibalism.

Book Lists and Tags

These are some of the shelves and tags I use on Goodreads and StoryGraph. I prefer to use StoryGraph for my own logging. However, given the number of users on Goodreads, I will actively update on both. This way, they can be utilized by a wider audience.

Podcasts

Believe it or not, Final Girls Feast is not the only podcast discussing food in horror!

• Fear Feasts– A podcast that analyses the horror genre in films and literature through the use and symbolism of food. Co-hosted and produced by Alessandra Pino and Vanessa Baca.
• Final Girls Feast- My own podcast that I co-host with Carrie Hartzell, where we discuss gastro horror, cannibalism, and food in horror films.
• My Guest Appearances– I’ve been a guest on several podcasts to discuss other films, including gastro horror titles!

BlueSky Starter Packs: 

One of the great things about BlueSky is the ability to build starter packs! They are a great way to find smaller communities within the larger sphere of folks online.

• Final Girls Feast Community– A list of folks who’ve made guest appearances on Final Girls Feast!
• Gastro Horror Creators (Film, Literary, Online)– Authors, Filmmakers, and more who have created food-centric books, movies, and more in the horror genre!

YouTube Channels and Videos

I’m trying to do more with YouTube, so definitely expect this section to grow!

• Gastro Horror Films and Shorts Playlist- My playlist of gastro-themed horror films and shorts. I try to only use legitimate links so if I’ve included one that belongs to you and shouldn’t be included, feel free to let me know and I’ll remove it.
• Cannibal Mukbang Q&A (Chattanooga Film Festival 2024)– My Q&A with the director of Cannibal Mukbang, Aimee Mayumi Kuge.
• Feast of Fear Virtual Panel (Salem Horror Fest 2021)– One of my original discussions about food in horror! In this panel (which was originally used for the virtual element of Salem Horror Fest 2021), I discuss how food is used in horror and which movies are perfect for foodies!

Gastro Horror Articles Written by Me for Other Outlets 

• Gastro Creature Features for NightTide Magazine- In this article, I compiled a comprehensive list of Creature Features featuring sentient killer food!
• Horrorville Gastro Horror Takeover- I was invited to take over the Horrorville newsletter and curate it with content discussing food in horror!
• Destination Dining in Horror for NightTide Magazine– In this article, I wrote about destination dining and how it is used in The Menu, House of Spoils, and What You Wish For.
• Michael Kallio on Dinner with Leatherface for Daily Grindhouse– My review of Dinner with Leatherface and interview with director Michael Kallio.
• A Recipe for Death: Gastro-Based Deaths in the Final Destination Franchise for Daily Dead– Every Final Destination film has at least one gastro-related death, and I rounded all of them up!
• Haunted House of Pancakes Impressions & Interview with Director / Co-Writer Nathan Dalton for Daily Dead– I interviewed the director of Haunted House of Pancakes and shared my impressions of the film.
• The Gastro History of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Franchise for Daily Dead– I broke down and analyzed the use of dining scenes, cannibalism, and more within the Texas Chainsaw franchise.
• Fantastic Fest 2025: Dinner to Die For Impressions & Interview with Director and Co-Writer Diana Mills Smith for Daily Dead– I interviewed the director of Dinner to Die For and shared my impressions of the film.
• Fantastic Fest 2025 Review: Meat Kills Leans Into Aughts Horror with Mixed Results for Daily Dead– I reviewed the film Meat Kills and discussed what I think worked and didn’t work in the film.
• Spine-Tingling Sweets: 7 Horror Movies Featuring Candy for Daily Dead– I rounded up some of my favorite horror movies that featured candy!
• Love at First Bite: Cannibalism and Romance for NightTide Magazine– For this article, I discussed how cannibalism and romance are used in horror to address themes of obsession and more.

Interviews Given By Me About Gastro Horror

• Gastro Horror Explained: Sarah Stubbs on Hannibal, Texas Chain Saw’s Dinner Scene & The Platform in Big Picture Film Club– I discussed a variety of topics, including Hannibal’s popularity, social commentary in gastro horror, and more.

I hope y’all find this topic as engaging as I do and find this guide useful. As I mentioned, this resource will continuously be updated, as will the various linked sites. My goal with this is to start a sort of virtual archive for those with an interest. I’m open to ideas and suggestions as well! Feel free to leave a comment if you have a movie or book you’d like added to any of the lists. I’m trying to figure out the best way to get a list of magazines, journals, zines, etc, up as well, but that is still in progress.